In a significant development, chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, after a representation by Telangana ministers, has agreed to convene a joint meeting of Telangana and Seemandhra ministers at his camp office here on Wednesday to discuss the state bifurcation issue.
According to sources, the chief minister promised Telangana ministers that he would chair the meeting and allow the ministers to air their views on sharing of river waters, revenue, energy, employment and access to higher education. When the Telangana ministers told him of their decision to organise a public meeting in Hyderabad, he did not object to it.
After a meeting at the Congress Legislature Party office, the Telangana ministers called on the chief minister at his camp office and requested him to ensure that the party’s T-decision is implemented.
The chief minister, according to information and public relations minister DK Aruna, said he was neither a supporter of Samaikyandhra nor an opponent to Telangana and that he was open to suggestions.
At the CLP, Telangana Congress leaders proposed to organise a massive public meeting in Hyderabad soon, apparently to take wind out of the sails of Telangana Joint Action Committee (TJAC) which has announced a public meeting on Sept 30.
According to sources, the Telangana Congress leaders were worried over their Seemandhra counterparts having their way with regard to the status of Hyderabad. To stall this, the Telangana leaders want to make efforts to prevent the Centre acceding to the demand of Seemandhra leaders to convert Hyderabad into a Union Territory.
According to DK Aruna, a wide-ranging meeting has been called on Sept 15 in Hyderabad with the participation of not only ministers, but also MLAs, MLCs, DCC presidents and others from the Telangana region to decide on the date and venue of the public meeting.
The Telangana leaders want resolutions passed at district and mandal level meetings of the party for the implementation of the CWC decision, which said Hyderabad would remain the joint capital for the two states for 10 years. The Telangana ministers too want to meet exclusively to pass a resolution for the implementation of the CWC decision without any amendments.
The meeting, attended by ministers K Jana Reddy, DK ARuna, J Gita Reddy and P Sudharshan Reddy, and several MPs and MLAs, expressed unhappiness over the chief minister championing the cause of Samiakyandhra and the support extended by the government to the APNGOs public meeting in Hyderabad recently.